


i don't need sunshine now, to turn my skies to blue

by mompasaurus



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, angus is in foster care, more tags will be added if necessary
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-06
Updated: 2017-04-05
Packaged: 2018-10-15 06:28:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10551620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mompasaurus/pseuds/mompasaurus
Summary: taako was never a fan of kids, but after an encounter with a boy genius in a bookstore, maybe he's willing to make an exception.





	

**Author's Note:**

> hello hello! i've been working on this fic for a while now and i'm glad the first chapter is finally finished. 
> 
> a few things about this fic:  
> -this fic is about taako and angus' bond, and taako eventually adopting angus  
> -i know the adoption process is long and complicated, but i will probably simplify it for the sake of the fic (im sure nobody wants to read all of that anyway)  
> -not sure about update schedule because of school and also im lazy, but i will do my best  
> -the title is from annie leave me alone  
> -thank you to emma for beta

The dull, grey atmosphere of the rainy city outside made Taako tired, more than he already was. He was tired the moment he woke up and saw his apartment window covered in raindrops, though he couldn’t get himself to fall back asleep. So he got out of bed against his own will, opting to make himself a pot of coffee to try and stay awake. 

 

He had been living on his own for a while at that point, though he still wasn’t used to the overwhelming silence of waking up alone. Nothing but his footsteps and the natural sound of the world around him. His previous roommate and partner would always wake before him, always needing to do something in the morning. But that was in the past, he supposed. 

 

As his coffee brewed, Taako thought about what he was going to do today. It was Wednesday, raining, and a rare day he had off of work. His dinky little apartment wasn’t much fun, so he’d likely be going out. He could go hang out with Magnus - the big guy always welcomed him even if he was busy working on some wooden chair in his garage. Magnus lived on the outskirts of town, though, and Taako didn’t feel like going that way. Or paying for the train. 

 

All of his other friends were either working or doing something that didn’t interest him. Fuck, he needed friends with better schedules. 

 

The coffee was ready, and Taako hunted the kitchen for his sugar, unsure of where he last put it. He noted that he would probably have to go grocery shopping sometime this week, which he was not looking forward to because he always had to buy the cheap, store-brand stuff.

 

But, speaking of shopping, it occurred to Taako that he had some birthday money left over from a few weeks prior. Some of it he had spent on paying bills and other necessities, but he purposefully set some aside for his own spending. He wasn’t really sure what to get. There were plenty of things he  _ wanted, _ sure, but he wasn’t in any situation to be carelessly spending money on something he wasn’t going to use often. 

 

Taako found his stash of sugar shoved into his snacks cabinet (which was getting dangerously close to empty) and took out a few packets, shaking them in his hand before tearing them open. He glanced around his tiny, pathetic kitchen, wondering if he could buy something to spice it up a bit, or make coming into the kitchen more enjoyable. 

 

If he had the funds, he would just buy a new kitchen altogether, one that was more spacious with an island in the center, beautiful countertops perfect for preparing meals, maybe one of those refrigerators with a screen on it. Taako could close his eyes and perfectly picture his dream kitchen - he’d get lost in the vision - but once he opened his eyes, he would be standing in his puny little kitchen wearing an oversized t-shirt he stole from Magnus and see that the sink is leaking again. 

 

Taako shook himself from his fantasies and went back to thinking of what to buy. He didn’t really need utensils - he took good care of those. Would he have enough money for like, a blender? Maybe he could start making smoothies. Fruit was fairly cheap, right? He could start a smoothie stand and make more money that way. Taako the Smoothie Man, yeah. 

 

But maybe he should start simpler. He could make a smoothie, but could he make a  _ good  _ smoothie? Just throwing some strawberries and bananas into a blender wasn’t a good smoothie. Some tasty but nutritious things to add to smoothies… nuts, maybe? He could just get a cookbook…

 

Ah. A cookbook! He could definitely use one of those, perhaps one with cheap ingredients? Or just a smoothie recipe book, like Jamba Juice’s Greatest Hits or something. It probably would be best to get the blender first, but… he had to start somewhere, right? He did have a blender and some other fancy cooking tools back at his old roommate’s place, but… there was no way he was getting those back without some sort of confrontation that he really didn’t want to deal with. 

 

Anyway. Cookbook first, he supposed, in the off chance his ex-roomie would just leave the blender outside his door.

 

Taako finished off his coffee while the smoothie fiasco unravelled in his mind, so he set his mug in the sink, pushed his thoughts of paranoia away, and went to his bedroom to get ready for the day. 

 

\--

 

It was around one p.m. by the time Taako left his apartment wearing his Wednesday best, which consisted of a beige striped sweater, a waist-high grey skirt with wine-colored leggings underneath, mid-calf boots and a light brown trench coat to top it off. His hair was in a messy bun, and he had his umbrella with him in case the rain started up again. Currently it was just wet, cloudy, and a bit chilly. 

 

Though he was glad to be getting out of the house for a bit, Taako was sort of dreading getting this cookbook, because his phone indicated that the closest and cheapest bookstore was the small, shitty one about a dozen blocks away. 

 

It wasn’t the trip that bothered him - almost everywhere he frequented was within walking distance anyway - but he absolutely hated that bookstore. He went there once a few years back with Magnus, who was picking something up for his then- fiancée, and recalled that it smelled like shit shoved up a monkey’s ass in there (like he was one to talk, he never cleaned his apartment.) So yeah, not looking forward to that. 

 

The few blocks to the bookstore were uneventful, and Taako swore he could smell the musty old books that awaited as he approached the shop. The store itself was small on the outside, almost unnoticeable as it was wedged between two buildings that towered over it. The exterior had a rustic, homey feel to it with drawings of flowers drawn in marker across the windows and a chalk board beside the door with some bullshit quote about reading. It was the kind of store that tourists would flock to, though it was really no different than any other used bookstore in the world.

 

A little bell rang over Taako’s head as he walked into the store, a familiar scent of used books filling his nose, and he gave a quick but courteous hello to the worker who greeted him. While the store wasn’t exactly small, it was compact with its many protruding bookshelves and clearance carts that left the main aisles narrow. Taako wasn’t claustrophobic, but he wondered if he would be if he didn’t get out of here quick enough. 

 

Taako paced through the store, eyes scanning the aisles for the cooking section and making an effort to not make eye contact with any living person. Fiction… Sci-Fi… Romance… Taako didn’t even know how some of these genres were deemed more important than cooking. He didn’t spot the sign for the cooking section until he was nearly at the back of the store, just next to the children’s book section. 

 

Taako zipped around the corner and didn’t see a small child coming his way until it was too late. He collided into the child, sending him onto the ground with a few thuds as the books he was carrying fell with him. 

 

A brief feeling a panic overtook Taako, hoping to whatever god that the kid wasn’t about to start crying. The last thing he needed was an angry parent cursing him out for shoving their child to the ground. Taako wasn’t great with kids anyway, what was he supposed to do? 

 

But rather than bursting into tears, the child only groaned and straightened his glasses that had been nearly knocked off his face. He scrunched his freckled face and glanced up at Taako, gasping as he seemed to remember he had bumped into someone. 

 

“Oh, I’m so sorry, sir, I wasn’t watching where I was going,” The child said as he began to pick up his scattered books. He looked up at Taako with a worried expression. “Are you alright, sir?”

 

“I should be asking  _ you _ that, kid, you fell right on your ass,” Taako said as he brushed the front of his clothes to get rid of little boy germs or something. “Sorry, I mean, fell on your butt.”

 

Once the child gathered his books, he stood up and adjusted his glasses again. “It’s okay, you can curse in front of me, and I’m alright!” He gave a toothy grin, though Taako noticed he was missing two of his front teeth. “I may be a little boy, but I won’t be knocked down that easily!”

 

“I mean, I knocked you down literally five seconds ago, but whatever,” Taako said, starting to move away from the child and end this interaction so he could get back to what he came here for. “Anyway, nice talking to you kid, but I gotta go. You better get back to your parents.”

 

But as Taako began to walk away, the child followed him, as if he hadn’t just been shoved to the floor by this stranger. “I don’t have parents, actually, I was an orphan!” He chirped way too happily for what he was talking about. “I’ve got a foster mom now, though. Though she’s kind of old, so maybe she’s more like my foster grandma?” 

 

Taako tried his best to ignore the kid but he kept chattering away about his foster home, how he was the only child there, how he was very smart, and Taako was only half listening when he reached the cooking section of the store. “You’re awfully talkative to strangers, aren’t you, little man?”

 

As Taako came to a halt, the child lightly bumped into him again, making Taako flinch. God, if he had to put up with anymore physical contact…

 

“Oh, well uh, if you want the truth, sir, I’m here all by myself and I’m a little nervous!” The child said as Taako began to scan the shelves. Not a lot of smoothie books, must be in high demand. “I just thought I’d feel better if I had someone to talk to.”

 

Taako pulled out a book about making souffles and pretended to be interested in it. “So you thought you’d just talk to some weird guy like me, huh? I could kidnap you. I’ve got a knife in my purse. Maybe it’s for self-defense, maybe it isn’t. You don’t know.”

 

The child came up next to Taako, eyeing the book he was holding. “I don’t think you’re like that, sir. You seem like a good person.” That was debatable. “What are you looking for? Are you a chef?”

 

“I…  _ used  _ to be a chef,” Taako wasn’t about to drop that time he accidentally gave an entire restaurant food poisoning on a kid. That whole situation was a mess. “Now I’ve got kind of a shitty job but I still cook like, on the side.”

 

“Oh that’s too bad, I’m sure you’re a great chef! My foster mom makes delicious food for me all the time and-”

 

Taako cut him off before he could run his mouth again, not taking his eyes away from the book. “Listen, kid, it’s been great talking to you, but I didn’t come here for chit chat. You may as well run along, cus I’ve got nothing for you.”

 

Seeming to get the message, the child shied away, holding his stack of books close to his chest. “ Oh. Um. Alright, then, I guess I’ll be on my way. Nice talking with you, sir.” 

 

Taako gave a grunt of acknowledgement as he saw the kid scurry from the aisle from the corner of his eye. He sighed in relief and put the souffle book back on its shelf. So many books on barbeques and organic meals, but nothing on smoothies? Maybe smoothie books didn’t exist and Taako was just kidding himself. 

 

Eventually, he managed to find a smoothie recipe book from like, the 90s titled  _ Groovy Smoothie Moves: The Guide to Essential Smoothie Making _ , featuring a colorful middle aged woman holding a blender with various fruits inside it on the cover. 

 

Good enough, he supposed. If the recipes turned out to be garbage he could always just modify them himself. It was a fairly cheap book as well, since it had likely been sitting on that shelf since Bill Clinton’s sex scandal. 

 

Taako took the book and hurried to the front of the store, thankfully not shoving anymore children on his way. As he approached the register, however, he saw the child from before paying for his books and appearing to have a hard time with the cashier.

 

“Sorry kid, you don’t have enough to get all three of these.” The cashier, a boring looking old guy, said to the child as he took one of the books from the stack and placed it behind the register. “That’ll be three twenty-four.”

 

Taako could have seen the kid’s face drop from across the store, and something tugged at his heartstrings.  _ No, _ he told himself.  _ You are not going to feel anything for this stupid child.  _

 

The child began frantically counting the money in his hand, as if more money would magically appear. “Are- Are you sure, sir? I could pay you back, just let me go home and get more money and--”

 

A firm head shake from the cashier silenced him. “I can’t let you leave with the book without paying. Sorry.”

 

Taako was feeling things for this child, and he felt like causing trouble. Almost against his will, Taako strode up to the register and cleared his throat. “Excuse me, sir. Yes, hello. How much is that book? The one you just took from this eight year old.”

 

“I’m ten, actually, but-”

 

“Oh, this?” The cashier held up the book, a copy of  _ Caleb Cleveland: Kid Cop & the Great Railroad Mystery _ . “It’s a dollar ninety-nine. Kid’s only got three fifty.”

 

“And what, you can’t just  _ give  _ the kid the book?” Taako leaned against the counter now, putting on his best persuasion act. “It’s only two bucks, surely this entire business won’t be in shambles because you gave away a shitty children’s mystery novel. This isn’t a family-run institution you’ve got here as far as I can tell.” 

 

The cashier seemed to be getting impatient now, and he set the book down on the counter. “Sir, if you have nothing to pay for then please leave.”

 

“Oh, don’t worry big guy, I’ve got something for ya,” Taako set his smoothie book on the counter and glanced at the child beside him. “Hey, you pay for those yet, pumpkin?”

 

The child shook his head, a bit surprised by what was happening before him. “No, sir, but don’t worry about it, it’s fine if I don’t have the other book.”   
  


“Give me your books and give me the money,” Taako held out his hands, and the child complied, placing the two books in Taako’s hands and the money on top. He plopped them on top of his smoothie book on the counter along with the money he brought. “There, now how much will it be?”

 

The cashier took a moment to count the cash, but he still shook his head. “You still don’t have enough for the other book.” 

 

“Oh dear, that’s too bad!” Taako faked his dismay, something he was rather good at. “We’ll just have these books then, no trouble.”

 

With a glare, the cashier rang up the books and handed them to Taako in a plastic bag. “There you go. Have a nice day.”

 

Taako handed the bag to the child before speaking to the cashier again. “By the way, you got a bathroom? Your boy drank a loooot of juice before coming here.”

 

“In the back.” The cashier was reading a book of his own now, not looking up at Taako.

 

“Great!” Taako turned to the child. “You go wait outside, little man, I’ll be right back.” And with that, Taako walked toward the back of the store and into the children’s book section. 

 

It was then that he realized he’d forgotten to get the author of the  _ Caleb Cleveland: Kid Cop _ series. So he stood there in the middle of the kid’s section and wondered what the  _ fuck  _ he was doing. Why should he be worried about this kid he just met and his books? This was not the Taako style at all. Taako was used to be in and out of places and not be all up in other people’s lives. 

 

Maybe he saw himself, from his own childhood in the kid? On his own, doesn’t have a lot of money, gets rejected by adults…

 

Whatever. It didn’t matter now. He was already dedicating himself to this, so he may as well just do it. He frantically began scanning the shelves, not wanting the cashier to get suspicious of him taking an unordinarily long piss.  _ Kid Cleveland…  _ No,  _ Caleb Cleveland. _ Where was it? Taako wasn’t sure what he’d do if he didn’t find this damn book. Probably go actually take a piss.

 

Taako caught sight of a  _ Caleb Cleveland  _ book at the bottom of one of the shelves, and thank whatever god may exist that it was another copy of  _ Caleb Cleveland: Kid Cop & the Great Train Mystery _ . He took the book and peeked out of the aisle for any employees or other people that may see him, and dashed toward the bathroom at the back of the store, holding the book close to his chest--

 

But he found himself stopping in his tracks. There was something in his gut telling him that he shouldn’t be doing this, oddly enough. Taako usually wasn’t one to act with regret, but a sense of guilt was quickly overcoming him for reason he couldn’t quite pin down. Maybe he shouldn’t… 

 

Taako sighed, and went to put the book back on the shelf, except he didn’t really pay attention to which shelf so he probably put it in the adult fiction section or something. He then made his way back up to the register, slamming three dollars onto the counter, making the cashier jump. “I’ll take the other book, please.”

 

Bewildered, the cashier carefully took the money, counted the bills, held them to the light, then slid the  _ Caleb Cleveland  _ novel over to Taako. He counted coins from the register and set them in Taako’s hand. “Here’s your change. Have… Have a nice day.”

 

“Have a  _ great  _ day, sir.” Taako gave a friendly wave at the cashier, who only glanced up at him and nodded in acknowledgement. 

 

Once outside the store, Taako declared his heist on the bookstore complete. He saw the child standing just outside the entrance like he’d told him to, bag of books in one hand as he gave a small wave to Taako with the other. 

 

“Hello again, sir. Sorry for causing trouble in there, I should have been more smart with my money.” The child seemed shy now as he fidgeted with the buttons on his shirt. 

 

Taako scoffed. “Pff, that guy was a jerk, anyway. Don’t sweat it.” There was an awkward moment of silence between them, neither knowing what to do from here. “You good, kid? Where’s this foster mom of yours anyway?”

 

The child’s face seemed to light up at the mention of his foster mom. “Oh! Lucretia says I’m a good boy and that I can go to town on my own,” He pulled an old, dated flip phone from his pocket, waving it at Taako. “She even gave me my own phone so I could call her in case of emergencies!”

 

“Must be pretty street smart if you’re going around town like this, aren’t you like 7?” Taako took a good look at the kid, freckles standing out against his brown skin, dark curls that seemed well kempt, and an outfit that was much too dapper for a day on the town, in Taako’s opinion. 

 

But the child shook his head. “Nope, I’m 10 years old, and I  _ am  _ very smart!” He beamed. “I’m a whole grade above everyone else my age because I’m so smart, and Lucretia said I’ve got the reading level of a college student.”

 

“Oh, that’s right!” Taako had completely forgotten about the book he nearly stole. He began to reach into his purse, but his eyes quickly darted to the door as he realized they were still standing in front of the book store. “Uhh actually, why don’t we go somewhere else. You like coffee?”

 

The kid shrugged. “I’m not really allowed to have coffee.”

 

“Well we’re going to Starbucks anyway, you can get a cake pop or something.” Taako began to walk in the direction of the nearest Starbucks he knew of, which was only a few blocks away. He looked behind himself after a few seconds to make sure the kid was following him. 

 

Taako suddenly felt a little weird. This kid was just following a stranger without question, isn’t that dangerous? “Hey kid, this isn’t, like, weird to you or anything, is it?”

 

“What is, sir?” The child piped up from behind Taako.

 

“Like… following some weird guy like me.” Taako slowed his pace until the kid was walking right next to him. 

 

“Not at all, sir. I already told you, I can tell you don’t have any ill intention towards me.”

 

It’s not like the kid was wrong, but Taako wasn’t sure about his intuition. “How do you know that?”

 

The child looked up at Taako, studying his face for a moment. “Well, I could tell by your body language in the store that you weren’t looking to cause trouble. Then you stood up for me at the register because you felt bad for me, even if you didn’t want to admit it,” The two of them stopped a crosswalk while the child continued. “And taking me to a public place like Starbucks means you can’t do anything bad to me there without bringing attention to it, and I know you’re not lying, sir.”

 

What the hell. Who was this Sherlock Holmes prodigy over here? Taako stared in disbelief at the child, not noticing the walk light had turned green until he nudged him. “Well shit. I guess you’re pretty smart after all.”

 

The two of them crossed the street, the child beaming after being complimented. “I told you! Oh, by the way, my name is Angus! What’s yours?”

 

“It’s Taako. Not like the food, don’t even think about making that joke.” Taako warned, but like much of his rebukes they held little threat, and he quickly changed the subject. “So you must be like, the smartest in your class or something, right? What are you, in first grade?”

 

“No, sir, and I feel like you don’t have a very good grasp on age.” Angus said bluntly, and Taako was almost offended. “I’m supposed to be in the third grade, but I guess I was so smart that they moved me up a grade! But even then, I’m still the smartest in my class.”

 

Taako remembered the book again, and this time took the book from his purse and handed it to Angus. “Oh right, here’s that book. I didn’t steal it, I promise. I was about to though.”

 

Angus’ face lit up when he saw the book, and he eagerly snatched it from Taako’s hands, staring at the cover. “Th.. Thank you so much, sir! You didn’t have to…”

 

Taako pretended his heart didn’t warm at seeing the kid smile. “It’s nothing. And don’t tell anyone about this, or I’ll curse all of your books individually.”

 

“Oh, do you practice witchcraft?” Angus, again, wasn’t put off by Taako’s threats.

 

“No, but it’d be fuckin’ sweet, wouldn’t it?” 

 

They soon walked into the Starbucks, and Taako let out a sigh of relief when he saw Carey working the register. Taako was a regular here, and Carey always gave him a discount since he was low on money (though he wasn’t supposed to tell anybody that.)

 

The shop wasn’t terribly crowded, and Carey had just finished tending to a customer when Taako strolled up to the counter, Angus still tagging along behind him. 

 

“Well hey, Taako! Haven’t seen you for a couple days.” Carey said, then poked her head around Taako’s shoulder to see Angus. “Who’s this little guy? You a babysitter now?”

 

Taako scoffed. “Oh, please. Like I would be good at taking care of a kid. This one’s not bad, though,” He stepped aside and gestured toward Angus with his arm. “Kid’s wicked smart. I met him at the bookstore.”

 

“And you… took him to Starbucks with you? Where are his parents? Taako, please don’t tell me you kidnapped him.” Carey looked genuinely concerned at Taako.

 

“Oh, uh, don’t worry, miss!” Angus piped up, waving his hands. “I’m perfectly capable of being on my own, and also I don’t really have parents… But Taako bought a book for me, so…”

 

Taako tutted, crossing his arms. “I thought I told you not to mention that, Angus!”

 

But Carey had the grin of a cat on her face. “Oh my god, you mean to tell me that  _ Taako  _ spent money out of his pocket for a  _ kid? _ I always knew you had a soft spot somewhere in that stubborn heart of yours.” She chuckled, and began to prepare Taako’s usual order, a soy green tea frappuccino. 

 

“Shut it.” Taako mumbled as he pulled his wallet out of his purse. “Oh yeah, get me a cake pop for the kid. That’s cool, right?” He turned to Angus, who nodded in confirmation.

 

Drink and cake pop in hand (which Carey gave a generous discount for, a blessing from whatever heavens may exist,) Taako and Angus left the Starbucks, as Angus worried about making it home when he was told. 

 

“Well, I suppose I can walk you home if you want,” Taako suggested, as if it were no big deal. “I know you said you’re fine by yourself or whatever, but you don’t wanna take that risk, my man.” 

 

Angus smiled, and he seemed to relax knowing that someone was escorting him home. “If it’s no trouble, sir, I’d appreciate it.”

 

Taako shrugged. “It’s my day off, it’s not like I have anything better to do.”

 

As it turned out, Angus did not live very far from the bookstore at all, and the kid rushed ahead of Taako as he saw his apartment building. Taako recognized the building, he often passed it on his way to work, and although he had never been inside, he knew from the polished exterior that it was not a cheap place to live.

 

Angus hopped up the steps to the building, turning to wave at Taako as he approached the door. “Thank you for everything, sir! See you around!”

 

Taako waved back, making sure Angus got inside safely before turning back towards his own shitty apartment. As he walked silently on the sidewalk, he tried to put together what had happened that day. 

 

Angus really did remind Taako of himself as a kid, in a way. Even though Taako knew he’d probably never see the kid again, he hoped deep down that Angus wouldn’t end up like he did. Weary to trust, suspicious of everything, and utterly alone.

 

It wasn’t until Taako climbed up the steps to his apartment that he realized how much he missed the company of other people, and it wasn’t until he closed the door and took off his shoes that he realized he left his smoothie book in the bag Angus took home. 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! kudos and comments are greatly appreciated, as well as any suggestions/criticism.  
> come talk to me about taz:  
> twitter - @umbrastaffs  
> tumblr - tosakasan


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